Josh Cohen: What a Russian ‘win’ in Syria would look like
A picture taken on Oct. 22, 2015 shows a Syrian woman talking on her mobile phone in front of a pro-Bath party and President Bashar al-Assad billboard, in Damascus.
As Russia's bombing campaign in Syria drags on, a number of commentators have suggested that President Vladimir Putin's bold move could drag Russia into an Afghan-style quagmire. This negative outcome is far from guaranteed, however, and Putin holds more cards than his critics realize. Russia may well achieve its core military objectives in Syria - while the United States cannot.
